Like this:

Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, probably the most level-headed and maybe smartest guy in the GOP, has ruled out a run for president in 2012, says The Weekly Standard. Interestingly enough, one of the qualities that would make him a good president is also one of the reasons that he won’t run: his priorities.

But the 40-year-old congressman has consistently tried to quash the notion that he might run for president and did so again last night during the $50 per person fundraising cruise on Lake Geneva. “No, no there isn’t,” Ryan replied when asked if there’s any chance he would run for president.

“I want to be a normal person,” Ryan continued. “Other people can run for that thing. Other people can’t do this,” he said, pointing to one of his three young children sipping a kiddie cocktail.

Many politicians say they won’t run for higher office because of their family, but Ryan really seems to mean it. “I lost my dad when I was a little kid,” he said. “So I’m very sensitive to that issue. I’d be on the campaign trail in a month, and I’d be crying myself to sleep because I hadn’t seen my kids for eight or ten days. Right now, I can handle it when I don’t see them for three or four days.”

It’s a shame that, thanks to the news media, running for president is a no-go if you value family like Ryan does. That’s not saying that politicians with young children, like Barack Obama, are cheating their children of their father if they run for president. But Ryan’s not taking any chances.